Mike Ross
Michael "Mike" James Ross is a lawyer at Pearson Specter Litt and was a former investment banker at Sidwell Investment Group. Mike left Pearson Specter after accepting the job offer to work at SIG, however he returns later in season 4 after Jonathan Sidwell fired him from his firm. He is engaged to Rachel Zane. History When Mike was 11, his parents died in a car crash. He was then taken in by his paternal grandmother, Edith Ross. At some point, Mike met Trevor Evans, his oldest and best friend. When he was 7, he met Tess who became his high school sweetheart before she left for college. Mike found school incredibly easy due to his photographic memory, and rarely put any effort into studying. He got a scholarship into college and had planned to take up law, until he was expelled after Trevor convinced him to memorize a math test, as a way to make money, and unknowingly sold the answers to the Dean's daughter. Mike had been admitted as a transfer student to Harvard for the next year immediately before. The dean was forced to resign and his last act was to expel Mike and tell Harvard what he did so he would never get in. Some time after his expulsion, Mike started smoking pot with Trevor. He eventually took a job as a bike messenger. During one of these bike messenger visits, he met Claire, an intern at a legal clinic. After giving her some suggestions on an immigration case and impressing her, the two went out on a date. Claire told Mike that the man she wanted to be in a relationship with would have to be more than a bike messenger, and so Mike lied that he went to Columbia; however, the lie was exposed by Nathan, Claire's boss, and Claire broke it off with Mike. Trevor, in order to pay back Mike for taking the fall for him at the cost of his college degree, rents an apartment in the city and offers to pay up to a year's worth of rent on his behalf. Although his Grammy vehemently opposed the idea, Mike told her he was going to move in anyways, with or without her approval. Realizing he was a grown man now, capable of making his own choices, Grammy told him she respected his decision and so Mike moved in with Trevor. Whilst at a bar with Trevor, he met two girls, Jenny and Nikki, and immediately hit it off with Jenny. However, it was Nikki who asked Trevor to set her up with Mike, so Trevor ended up asking Jenny out, and Mike with Nikki. After agreeing to go out with her, Mike discovered it was actually a ruse, as Nikki wanted Mike to take the LSATs for her. Although Mike was initially reluctant, he agreed to do so in exchange for money after he found out his grandmother would need full-time care. Mike began taking the LSATs for other people as a living, after he was recommended to others by Nikki. At one point, Mike also took the bar exam for a bet and passed. Season 1 Mike realized that he had been taking one too many LSATs when a proctor recognized him. After constantly declining Trevor's invitation to get into the business of selling pot with him, he discovered that his grandmother's medical bills were piling up, and agreed to a one-off job for Trevor, delivering a briefcase full of drugs. Whilst making the delivery, Mike realized that it was actually a set up and took off with the briefcase in hand. Attempting to hide from the cops, he stumbled into the room where the interviews for Harvey Specter's associate was being held. Although Harvey was impressed by his tactics, he expressed reluctance at hiring Mike as his associate, given that Mike hadn't attended any law school. However, Mike managed to convince Harvey to hire him anyway with his expansive knowledge of the law, and received a signing bonus that would cover his grandmother's medical bills. After Trevor constantly badgered Mike about the briefcase full of marijuana, he eventually returned the briefcase to Trevor, revealing his business to Jenny in doing so, and took several of Trevor's suits along the way. Whilst working at Pearson Hardman, Mike fell in love with his co-worker Rachel Zane, a paralegal that gave him a rundown of the firm on his first day and showed him to his cubicle. Despite his feelings for Rachel, he was unable to pursue a full relationship with her since he was dating Jenny, who had left Trevor after discovering his drug dealing affairs. Mike's job at Pearson Hardman was then put under threat when Trevor, who had discovered that Mike was dating Jenny, revealed to Jessica Pearson the truth about Mike's history. Season 2 Although Mike's identity was revealed to Jessica, his position at Pearson Hardman was secured after Harvey threatened to leave Pearson Hardman if Mike was fired. The return of Daniel Hardman, however, put pressure on Mike's secret, as Daniel was searching for something to hold against both Jessica and Harvey, who together had blackmailed him into leaving five years prior for stealing from the company. As he became more and more busy with his work at Pearson Hardman, Mike was unable to visit his grandmother Edith. After two months of not seeing each other, Edith decided to visit Mike herself at the firm. Feeling guilty for neglecting her, Mike decided to buy Edith an apartment in Manhattan, with some assistance from Rachel. However, just as he was about to take his grandmother to see her new apartment, Rachel informed him that Edith had passed away. Mike broke down in front of her and was unable to focus on work the following days. Before Edith's funeral, Mike started smoking pot again. At her wake, Mike's childhood sweetheart, Tess, came to see Mike again, and, after sharing an intimate moment with him, revealed that she was married. Mike initially turned her away, but after being rejected by Rachel, he later called her and slept with her. Mike ends things with Tess after Harvey tells him to "get his shit together." A man revealed to be Tess's husband beats him outside after finding about the affair. Mike did not file paperwork for Harvey about the merger he didn't want after Jessica threatened him with a letter revealing his secret. Harvey got horribly mad at Mike. Mike is later seen in the filing room, when Rachel walks in, locks the door, and demands to know why Mike wouldn't send a letter to Harvard for Rachel after Rachel was told by Louis that she didn't get in because of his relationship with Sheila Sazs. He told Rachel he couldn't sign it because he never went to Harvard. Rachel then slaps him twice, and he grabs her arm and they have sex in the filing room. Season 3 During season three, Pearson Hardman is merged with another law firm, Darby International, becoming Pearson Darby. Mike, whose relationship with Harvey is strained after the second season's events, ends up reuniting with his old mentor to fight a case involving client Ava Hessington. Jessica Pearson then discovers about Mike's affair with Rachel, and forces Rachel to sign an affidavit declaring she knew Mike never went to Harvard, however before signing she asks in exchange for being allowed to apply for a job at the firm after graduation even though she does not plan on going to Harvard. Mike contemplates a career change since he knows he can not legally be a lawyer. The firm also changes names two more times in the season, becomingPearson Darby Specter when Harvey is promoted to name partner by Jessica, and again as Pearson Specterwhen Edward Darby is forced to leave. In the finale, Mike is arrested for collusion and bribery (he convincedHarold Gunderson who worked at Bratton & Gould to represent people who were against Ava Hessington as well as Pearson Darby and had them settle the case financially), which cause Louis and Harvey bail him out. To avoid causing further problems, Mike leaves Pearson Specter, taking a job as an "investment banker" (though he actually evaluates investments for a hedge fund, so he is more accurately described as an investor). This new job makes Mike a client of the firm, and he jokes with Harvey, telling him that Harvey now technically works for him. Season 4 With Mike now working for Sidwell Investment Group, Harvey and Mike's relationship were put to the test due to being on opposing sides of a case. Harvey's client Logan Sanders and his company wanted to initiate a hostile takeover over Gillis Industries to salvage and use it for parts, but Mike wishes to save Walter Gillis' company. They both get into a heated exchange after Harvey severed Mike's ties with Walter Gillis by revealing to him that he dealt drugs in the past; also there was an offer that Mike got from Harvey regarding the takeover but Mike refused it, and stormed out of the conference room since he did not want Gillis' company to suffer such a fate. Unfortunately, Mike's new job didn't last for very long, Mike made a deal with Charles Forstman in which he agreed to cut Sidwell out of a deal to get money to save Gillis Industries, despite Harvey telling him not to trust Forstman. Mike however, thinks he has a way out of this because he thinks he can use the idea of Forstman's money as a threat to make Harvey back down, but Harvey sees through it. Mike is unable to save Gillis' company and the deal falls through, and to make it worse, Forstman tells Sidwell that Mike agreed to cut him out of a deal with his own company. Sidwell ordered Mike into his office, after a heated exchange, Mike gets fired from the Sidwell Investment Group and packs up his things and leaves. Mike gets a job offer from Forstman, with a million dollar signing bonus, which he almost accepts until he gets rehired by Louis Litt back to Pearson Specter, because Louis did not want Mike to take a job offer from Forstman because of the illegal deal the two of them made, as well as genuinely not wanting Mike to work for someone like him. Jessica was initially opposed to this, not wanting to harbor Mike's secret again, but Harvey managed to convince her that if she refuses, then Louis will know something is up and he will undoubtedly discover Mike's secret. Meanwhile, Sean Cahill from the SEC along with Eric Woodall are after Mike and Harvey for collusion and the two must figure out a way to make them give up. Their task gets complicated when they find out that Louis had embezzled money from his deal with Forstman. However, after eventually figuring out that Woodall and Forstman are working together, they turn Cahill against Woodall and make him drop the case. Sometime later Louis finds out Mike's secret and threatens to expose him if he doesn't get his name on the wall. Jessica agrees and the firm becomes Pearson Specter Litt. Louis and Mike's relationship is strained for a while, but Louis eventually forgives Mike, and gets back on the team. In the season finale, he finally proposes to Rachel and she accepts. Then boom he has a heart attack and dies.